tmbt: because it is so warm, and you are so near

Because it is so warm, and you are so far away in body, I crave the salt of the cove, the swath of stars above, the run of the wild aging pack circling around and near. Even their slobber. I crave the aging wood floors and the deep pungent smell of machas y ostras washing in. Because you are so far away in body, I crave the chest and sweet smell of you more for the reach it entails. Fonder, yes fonder, but already so fond so that fonder still is found as a surprise, un regalo precioso, pero one I want not to open again, opening sleepy morning eyes without you.

I am not lost here without you. I am here with me and with you still. I crave you in the sunshine, and in the craving I find you there. I crave you in the warm breeze and the craving pre-empts the beholding. Or does it? Or is it… is it that I hold you so close here in my skin where you laid, in my heart where you have nested, in my mind where you have cast spells of softness and grace unfolding me there and here again and again, unfolding myself over and over, that I am struck by such craving. Yes, creo que Si.

Because it is so warm, and you are so near to me, I am want and quenched of you. I am free and sauntering, content and missing. Just as I am when we are three rooms away instead of five thousand miles. I breath deep and the smell here is the smell of all things, and you are in it musky and salty and of honey spun lips.

Because it is so warm, and you are so near, it is easier, it is tickling, and it is the most beautiful thing, this life so near to you near to me.

I’ve found what I think may be and remain my favorite little jazz club in Santiago. El Perseguidor is an intimate, softly-lit club in the heart of the Bellavista Barrio in Santiago’s north-central area of Providencia, just a short walk from Pablo Neruda’s famous house in the city called La Chascona. The service at El Perseguidor […]

Shortly after arriving in Sangtiago, Chile I am excited. I’ve seen a number of stellar jazz musicians and feel that, while somewhat on the small side, the jazz scene here is alive, appreciative and open to new things. I am looking forward to finding my way around, meeting lots of musicians and getting back on […]

I heard from Walter Fordham today, the Director of The Chronicles of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, that he has chosen my jazz track Clear Blue Sky for a series of online radio broadcasts for The Chronicles. The series is called The Essential Chogyam Trungpa and features talks by Carolyn Gimian and Barry Boyce on dharma teachings […]

I am happy to tell you about a feature in this week’s Dharma/Arte online magazine! The segment includes three of my songs, lyrics, and thoughts on each, as well as inclusion of a piece I wrote “Why I write music.” Please visit the site, leave comments for them there, and please also support the magazine […]

I do, from time to time, imagine and sort of formulate the answer to the question: Why do you write music? And tonight, I think it is a simple one to answer. I don’t. Not so simple to elaborate upon, my answer. Really, I don’t. I don’t write music. The music writes me. I don’t […]

What can I say? I am not gigging right now, but I am swimming in music. Studying more, writing tons, and loving my life in the sweet-n-sour, bitter-n-bold, quiet-n-melodious way that makes me feel like what is happening (or isn’t) is perfect. Whatever is born out into the world from this time, I will be […]

Hi everyone! It’s been a few months since you heard from me here and my, how time flies! I’ve been immersed in creative projects, writing and re-writing, laying low under the winter snow and wind and watching for what’s next. After a high-energy fall run with The Boyfriend, my favorite six-piece musical lovers, I went into recluse […]

It was just after sound check for last night’s CD Launch party for Under the Apple at The b.side Lounge that the boys brought the day’s press to my attention. I’d been so preoccupied with the prep for the show, I forgot to check the papers to see if any of my press contact paid off. […]

We had a great time at KGNU last week and I was so appreciative of the hospitality of the crew, the sharpness of the sound team, and the enthusiasm of the Jazz & Beyond host, Sara Dee. The Boyfriend & I played a five-song set the featured music from Under the Apple, a couple of […]

Under the Apple Heather Marie Philipp Yours is a very eclectic sample. Many styles combine in these haunting tunes, but invariably, they create an inviting canvas for your sensuous vocals. I hear hints of jazzy Cassandra Wilson, feeling-saturated Radiohead, breath-carressing Joss Stone, and delicately-poignant David Sylvian. I would dare classify this album […]